Up to Five NBA Teams Reportedly Will Wear Sleeved Jerseys Next Season

The Golden State Warriors were the first to do it, wearing the sleeved jerseys for three games. Even though everyone hated it — Warriors players included — others are joining in the fashion faux-pas. Up to five NBA teams will rock the sleeved jersey look next season, according to ESPN: “We are interested in doing more short-sleeve jerseys when it makes sense,’ said Patrik Nilsson, president of adidas North America. Nilsson said Wednesday that adidas is motivated to get more fans wearing jerseys while also innovating the game jersey for the players. The company pays roughly $35 million a year to be the official apparel provider of the league through the 2016-17 season. All teams were offered the option to add this jersey, according to Sal LaRocca, the league’s executive vice president of global merchandising, but LaRocca would not confirm exactly how many teams have committed to it. LaRocca did say that part of the appeal of this jersey was to offer a different option at retail, though he doesn’t expect it to outpace the sales of the current design of the league’s jersey any time soon. [...] The jerseys, which adidas calls the adizero NBA short sleeve uniform system, are 26 percent lighter than the traditional NBA jersey, according to the company. While it might appear to be tight, adidas also says the uniform provides a full range of motion so as not to compromise a player’s shot.”